Genealogy - the study of Family Trees
- The internet has dramatically increased the number of people
researching their family trees - and it has never been easier.
Genealogy is one of the leading areas of internet searches.

Computers and online information have made researching and
recording your family tree much easier and cheaper. Although
for serious and extensive research, you may still want to visit
locations of the actual historic documents, data is increasingly
becoming available online - allowing a good start on your family
tree to be made from your own home.

What
Genealogy help is available online? There are a
number of sites that provide access to electronic copies of historic
records such as census entries and registers of births, marriages
and deaths. Some of these are free sites - often covering
specific locations. There are also many sites where people
publish or share their own family tree information and offer
assistance and ideas for your own investigations.

The most valuable
online genealogy sites include
subscription sites that provide comprehensive indexed data. It
is the availability of fully indexed electronic databases, with
their associated search facilities, that has made the research so
much easier. Now, if you know an ancestors name (or part of
it) you may be able to track down a whole family record in a
census
- without moving from your desk. You can trace family members
from generation to generation and from place to place. Often
these sites provide limited search facilities for free, and some
offer free trial periods from time to time.

To get the best value out of a 3 month subscription, it's a good
idea to do some research with the free search facilities - search
for the names, approximate ages and locations to find candidates for
your ancestors - once you have a list of candidates you can then use
the more extensive capabilities provided to subscribers to confirm
information and obtain more details.